Delhi Tughlakabad fire: ‘Victim fulfilled dream of buying home, but at a price’, say kin

A fire in Tughlakabad Extension claimed three lives, including Pankaj Pandey, who had recently bought a home to support his family.

NEW DELHI

The building of the fire. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Family members of the three who died in a fire at a five-storey building in Tughlakabad Extension on Friday morning said 28-year-old Pankaj Pandey took responsibility of the family two years ago, after losing his father to cancer. He sought to fund his sisters’ education and dreamt of owning a house — one that he fulfilled in 2024.

But the dream cost him his life, the family said.

“They were on the fourth floor and got trapped because there was no way out. Others in the building managed to escape,” said Pandey’s uncle, Suresh Chand Pandey, 50, who lives in Faridabad.

The family was among those trapped when a fire broke out in the parking area of a five-storey residential building in Tughlakabad Extension in the early hours of Friday. Police suspect the blaze may have been triggered by a short circuit while an electric scooter was being charged. Three people died and five others sustained injuries in the incident.

Suresh said that after his brother and Pankaj’s father, Subhash Chand Pandey, died, Pankaj, his mother Guddi Devi, 50, and his sisters Soni, 20, and Mani, 18, lived with Guddi’s mother, Sushila, in Pul Prahladpur. For the past several years, Pankaj ran a mobile accessories business and, in 2024, decided to buy his own house.

According to the family, Soni, 20, worked as a designer at a nearby store, while Mani, 18, is pursuing a website development course. The blaze killed Pankaj, his sister Soni and grandmother Sushila, while Mani and Guddi are battling for their lives.

Neighbours said the family stood on their fourth-floor balcony, shouting for help for nearly 40 minutes, before collapsing.

A fire official who was part of the operation said the fire was concentrated on the ground floor and there was no alternative route to the upper levels. “We tried going via the roof, but reaching the fourth floor took time due to heavy smoke and intense heat. We also tried to break the wall from the right side, but the attempt was unsuccessful,” the official said.